RFL change Squad Declaration rule

The RFL have announced a change for the Squad Declaration rule in the 2020 season.

Clubs will now have to name a 21 man squad ahead of the 12pm deadline, two days before the match takes place.

However, if a club selects a player not named in that squad and there are not exceptional circumstances, then they will lose an interchange in the match for every player that applies to.

This comes after Warrington were fined earlier this year for playing Stefan Ratchford in their Challenge Cup semi-final win over Hull FC, even though he wasn’t

Another change to the rules will be clubs get to register amateur players to play for their reserves. They will still have amateur status, so they can continue to play for their community clubs.

Karen Moorhouse, the RFL’s Chief Regulatory Officer, said: “The annual redrafting of the Operational Rules is a consultative process, as always designed to serve the good of the game as a whole, and of clubs and players in particular.

“The change to the Squad Declaration system was proposed in response to feedback from various sections of the game, including supporters and the media. As with all the other changes, we will monitor the impact of the changes carefully through the 2020 season. We are grateful to all who have contributed to this process.”